If family arrives Wednesday night, which day should be the Wine Country day? The 2026 calendars point to Friday. Several venues have posted that they close on Thanksgiving Day. Then, within about 24 hours, the AVA flips into its holiday season with two tree lightings, a Santa visit, an ice rink running from morning to evening, and live music at wineries up and down Rancho California Road.
The calendar below shows where that line falls and what is on each side of it.
Thursday, Nov. 26 is the quiet day
The closure notices are already up. Maurice Car'rie Vineyard & Winery at 34225 Rancho California Road has posted that it is closed in observance of Thanksgiving on Nov. 26, and its note to guests ends with "We will see you Friday!" The Peltzer Ice Rink schedule marks Thursday, 11/26, "CLOSED FOR THANKSGIVING," even though it runs seven sessions on Wednesday the 25th. Halter Ranch's Temecula page lists its tasting rooms as closed "November 25 & 26 for Thanksgiving." That notice gives no year, so it reads as standing holiday hours, and it also takes out the Wednesday.
These closures don't mean the whole valley is dark. They mean Thursday plans need a phone call first, and the strongest verified option that day is a sit-down meal.
The one verified Thursday reservation
Bolero Restaurante at Europa Village is hosting a Thanksgiving buffet on Nov. 26 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Prices:
- Adults: $89, or $80.10 for members
- Children ages 5 to 12: $39, or $35.10 for members
- Ages 4 and under: complimentary
- Last seating: 3 p.m.
- Reservations: required
The 3 p.m. last seating is the detail that matters most. A household that eats a late dinner at home and wants a Wine Country meal on the holiday has to choose one or the other, because the two don't fit in the same day. Look-alike listings from other properties may turn up in search, but the buffet pages that surface for neighboring venues are still dated 2025. Bolero's is the 2026 listing confirmed so far.
Friday and Saturday, when the season switches on
Starting Friday morning, the calendar fills in. The holiday centerpiece is Callaway Vineyard & Winery's Annual Barrel Tree Lighting & Holiday Market at 32720 Rancho California Road. The tree lighting is Friday, Nov. 27, and opens the market. The market continues Saturday, Nov. 28. Both days run 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. with free admission, and Santa is there both days, along with holiday wine specials, live music, raffles and prize giveaways.
Oak Mountain Winery takes the evenings. On Friday it hosts a free Family Fireside Friday with games and s'mores from 5 to 9 p.m. That night it also runs a free Movie in the Vines from 5:30 to 9 p.m. On Saturday, The Cave at Oak Mountain holds its Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony from 5 to 10 p.m., open to the public.
That's two tree lightings in two days, and they barely overlap. Callaway lights its barrel tree during daytime market hours on Friday. Oak Mountain's ceremony starts at 5 p.m. Saturday. A household could go to both without rushing either.
Live music, mostly on winery lawns and patios, fills the gaps between them:
| Day | Winery | Performer | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fri., Nov. 27 | AltÃsima Winery | Simon Sole | 1–5 p.m. |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Robert Renzoni Vineyards, Mama Rosa's Trattoria patio | David Maldonado | 4–7 p.m. |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Cougar Vineyard & Winery | Toasted Oak & Friends | 5–8 p.m., free |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | AltÃsima Winery | Benny Weagraff | 1–5 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Leoness Cellars | Son & Reynolds | 2–5 p.m. |
| Sat., Nov. 28 | Cougar Vineyard & Winery | Echoes of Cadence | 5–8 p.m., free |
The AltÃsima, Renzoni and Leoness listings give no price or reservation rules, so call ahead with a larger group. Cougar lists both of its evening sets as free to attend.
The rink is the only part that needs a ticket
Peltzer Ice Rink, at 40275 Calle Contento, is back for its ninth season with 8,400 square feet of real ice, food trucks, hot cocoa and the Rink & Drink Bar, which pours Peltzer wine, sangria and local beer for guests 21 and over. It opens the week before Thanksgiving and runs into mid-January. Check Peltzer's rink page for the first day, since the published listings don't agree on it.
Over the holiday weekend, sessions start at 10:30 a.m., noon, 1:30, 3, 4:30, 6 and 7:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Sunday follows the same pattern but ends with a 6 p.m. start. Pricing and rules:
- Ages 11 and up, $20. Ages 10 and under, $14.
- Skate rental $2. Helmet rental $4. Gliders free, first come.
- Season pass $160, which does not include skate rental.
- Sessions are reserved online. They are nonrefundable but can be transferred up to 24 hours before start time.
- Arrive at least 30 minutes early to check in and sign the waiver.
- Skaters under 18 need a parent or guardian to sign. Skaters 16 to 17 with valid ID can skate alone once the waiver is signed.
- The rink runs rain or shine, and outside food and drink are not allowed.
The 24-hour transfer window fits around the Thursday closure. If a Friday session books up or plans change, the cutoff for moving it falls on Thanksgiving Day itself, while the rink is closed. Email requests go to [email protected]. Families who visited Peltzer for its fall Crush House night, covered in our earlier piece on the farm's one-night age exception, will find the rink on the same property.
What's new to pour for the guests
Visiting family has probably toured Wine Country before, and this year there is a new story to tell them. The Temecula Valley Winegrowers Association's Oct. 2, 2026 harvest report describes a vintage that came in weeks early after a warm winter, early budbreak and a hot, humid summer. Olivia Bue, winemaker at Robert Renzoni Vineyards, told the association it was "the most condensed harvest I've experienced in my 16 years of winemaking." According to the report, 92% of Renzoni's grapes came in within a single month, compared with roughly two and a half months in most years. Wilson Creek finished harvest on Sept. 25, its earliest finish ever.
None of the 2026 wines will be in glasses by Thanksgiving. The same report lists several things that will be pouring or newly open by then:
- The Cellar at Robert Renzoni Vineyards. A new underground space beneath the tasting room, inspired by Italian wine cellars, set to debut in October for Riserva wines with food pairings. No price or booking details were published as of this writing.
- Callaway's bourbon barrel-aged Zinfandel. A 2024 Zinfandel aged half in new oak and half in unwashed bourbon barrels, planned as a late-fall release. No release date or price had been announced.
- Gershon Bachus Vintners' Nouveaux series. "Light and bright" reds meant to be served chilled, including Paeon, the winery's first natural Cabernet Sauvignon, and The Horse, a Petite Sirah aged five months in barrel.
- Truffle Pig's Pig Pen lounge. Late-night cocktail hours Thursday through Sunday, with patio cigar nights every other Sunday beginning Oct. 11, plus new seasonal dishes at Domenico's Italian Chophouse.
Chilled reds make a practical choice for a holiday table, and The Horse is an easy one to talk about at dinner. Check whether The Cellar or the Zinfandel has a published date before building a Friday plan around either.
The weeks before give hosts a dry run
Some events in the run-up to the holiday work as a preview of the weekend. BOTTAIA Winery hosts free Holiday Photos & Night Market on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 3 to 6 p.m., with live music by Caylie Gregorio and local vendors. Callaway's Friendsgiving on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 6 to 8 p.m. pairs seasonal food with wine and features winemaker Giovani Verdejo. It costs $45 for wine club members and $55 for non-members. The next day, Akash Winery runs a Holiday Floral Class from noon to 2 p.m. for $50, with supplies and one beverage included. The centerpiece you make could go straight onto the Thanksgiving table four days later.
Sunday, the soft landing
The weekend tapers off on Sunday, Nov. 29. The association's event directory lists Sunday performances at Leoness Cellars, Robert Renzoni Vineyards and AltÃsima Winery. The rink's last session starts at 6 p.m. that day, an hour and a half earlier than on Friday and Saturday. For guests flying out Monday, that makes a quiet final afternoon. For more weekend ideas beyond the holiday, see our guide to how residents spend weekends in Temecula Wine Country, or look back at this year's crush season calendar.
If this year's holiday calendar has you rethinking how your own property could host family, whether that's a guest house within reach of Calle Contento or a patio built for a winter tree, Andrea Lynn Duncan knows these Wine Country roads and estates season by season. Call me for a private consultation.
